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01 Sep 2010 23:10

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Politics: Dear Dave Weigel: Nice recovery from that Journolist saga

  • He’s quickly become one of the best parts of Slate. Sometimes a little scandal is all you need to ensure your long-term place in the conversation. And that’s what Weigel, late of the Washington Post and currently of Slate, has been up to lately – ensuring his place in the conversation. With an entertaining blog, insightful articles and a generally compelling persona, Weigel is a guy that needs to stick around for a good long time, no matter how many conservatives he privately suggests set themselves on fire. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Aug 2010 23:59

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Biz: More on Newsweek buyer: His wife is a congresswoman

Sidney Harman is 91? He doesn’t look a day over 80. His wife, Jane, by the way, represents the 36th district of California. She’s the second-richest House member. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2010 19:57

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U.S.: Snaps: Iowa’s broken Lake Delhi dam – a major flyover state story

  • After the Tennessee flooding in may, the mainstream media was criticized. Why? Because they underplayed a major tragedy that affected a lot of people – but people in a smaller state not on the East or West Coast. So, with that in mind, here’s a quick comparison of the coverage the dam breakage in Iowa has been getting so far. As of 8:29 p.m. EST, it’s not on the Reuters or BBC front pages at all. The New York Times only just put it up moments ago, and they’ve buried it. How about other sites?
  • MSNBC: Main imageMSNBC: Main imageIt’s the lead story at MSNBC, complete with a very dramatic photo to top it all off – pretty much the kind of play you’d expect.
  • CNN: Lead story (Breaking news)CNN appears to be pulling out all the stops for this story, asking for reader reaction to go with the photos on the site.

 

  • Washington Post: Lead imageIt seems like it might initially easy to miss, but the story, complete with dramatic photos, is on the front of the site.
  • Google News: Lead itemGoogle’s algorithms put it right up top, with the oil spill and the Afghanistan story. Earlier today, the German festival stampede was up top.

 

  • AOL News: Secondary leadThe site we occasionally freelance for chose to go with stampede at the German festival instead of the flooding as lead, though it’s up there.
  • Fox News: Secondary leadFox News had it on their front page, but it was below the captured NATO soldiers story and tied to other rain-related stories.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

19 Jul 2010 10:46

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U.S.: The Washington Post’s been busy the last two years or so

  • The amount of work that went into this is impressive. Beyond the stories themselves – an early Pulitzer contender about how the government’s intelligence apparatus has grown so huge that nobody knows how big it is – is an immaculately-designed mini-site, full of huge amounts of data about where all that intelligence money goes. It includes a pretty smart use of the jQuery carousel feature, immersive graphics (above), and data to last you for weeks. The Post has long been the ugliest of major old-guard newspapers, cluttered in all the ways that the Post itself is clean and classy. This – to us – proves that they have the capacity to turn that ship around. (Edit: Scott Clevenger notes that this series will also become a Frontline special on PBS.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2010 21:10

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Politics: Dave Weigel: Proof that people can land on their feet quickly

  • thursday A bunch of the Washington Post blogger’s right-trashing JournoList messages are leaked.
  • friday Weigel, who blogged about conservatives, dramatically resigns from the Post.
  • mondayKeith Olbermann reports that Weigel was hired by MSNBC. Perfect fit, am I rite? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jun 2010 21:55

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Culture: Don’t believe Twitter: John Wooden not dead yet, but gravely ill

  • A too-early report threw everybody off. Let’s face it. The legendary basketball coach, 99 and in grave health, probably isn’t going to be long for this world. But he isn’t dead let. However, Twitter seems to have jumped the gun on his fate. If it makes you guys feel better, this memorial photo gallery on the Washington Post’s site hit Google News early under the headline “John Wooden Dies at 99.” Oh boy. That isn’t good, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

24 May 2010 10:56

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Tech: Mark Zuckerberg writes inevitable “we screwed up” op-ed piece

  • Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too complex. Our intention was to give you lots of granular controls; but that may not have been what many of you wanted. We just missed the mark.
  • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg • Admitting the privacy options on Facebook kind of suck for many users, and that they plan to change them. He wrote a lengthy op-ed piece for The Washington Post noting just that. One thing he says might be a bone of contention, though: Zuckerberg flatly denies that the company has shared personal information with advertisers. (Note the word “personal” in that statement – your more basic demographic data is fair game.) Oh, and Facebook will always stay free. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Apr 2010 20:17

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Politics: Robert Gates: Believe nothing you read about me in the NYT

  • The memo was not intended as a ‘wake-up call’ or received as such by the President’s national security team. Rather, it presented a number of questions and proposals intended to contribute to an orderly and timely decision making process.
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates • In an attempt to defuse the controversy that blew up around a New York Times article regarding his department’s Iran policy. The article, which suggested that the Obama administration didn’t have a long-term plan to deal with Iran, was rooted in a memo written by Gates. The Times’ anonymous sources said the memo shook up the entire department; The Washington Post’s anonymous sources say it wasn’t that big a deal. We trust anonymous. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2010 10:29

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Politics: The Washington Post wants to hide our mean comments

  • I like the approach because it doesn’t limit speech. Anonymous loudmouths can still shout. But ‘trusted commenters’ will be easier to hear.
  • Washington Post Ombudsman Andrew Alexander • Discussing the Post’s decision to switch to a tiered commenting system like Gawker. Why? Too many loudmouths who hate the liberal media and everything it represents. With the system, it adds a layer of trust that encourages more good comments by allowing users to promote those and leave the conspiracy theories behind. Seriously, though, they found that a lot of story sources were getting scared off because anonymous commenters were so mean. A new bride, for example, was told to get a life insurance policy for her husband because he was obese and would probably die soon. Yeah, the Post needs to fix that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2010 09:48

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U.S.: Obama reads ten letters a day, but few this powerful

  • In the age of e-mails, Barack Obama still digs the printed letter. He gets thousands a day, but sets aside room to read ten of them. Jennifer Cline, a 27-year-old from Monroe, Mich. wrote one of the lucky ones that had her letter read by the president. Her note, which showed optimism of turning a corner in a situation fraught with adversity, was super-compelling. It’s freaking massive, but this Washington Post article will be the best thing you read today. Trust us. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 
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